Eden Hazard's Readiness for Real Madrid Transfer Doubted by Marcel Desailly

Ex-Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly doesn't think Eden Hazard is ready for a big-money move to Real Madrid this summer, arguing he is too inconsistent to be a regular starter at the Bernabeu. 

"I'm not sure Eden Hazard has that intention of being that top player, being first choice at Real Madrid," he said, per TalkSport (h/t Toby Gannon of The Sun). "Remember, Hazard has been in the Chelsea system for five years, and he's been doing well, but he's not been doing what we expected of him—scoring goals and being the equivalent of [Cristiano] Ronaldo or [Lionel] Messi. He's on and off."

"I’m not sure he's fully ready to change and take the risk, because he will want to play regular football," he added.

Hazard has been in magnificent form this season, scoring 14 goals in 29 league games and playing a crucial role in Chelsea's surge towards the Premier League title. Despite his brilliant performances, Desailly remains wary following the Belgian's disastrous 2015-16 campaign.

Michel Euler/Associated Press

He was one of Chelsea's worst performers in the first half of the season, when Jose Mourinho's team fell to pieces. When the Portuguese manager was dismissed Hazard reportedly texted his former manager to personally apologise, per Dominic Fifield for the Guardian.

However, his bizarre one-season blip is a distant memory now, reportedly leading to renewed interest from Real Madrid. In fact, Zinedine Zidane's desire to bring Hazard to Madrid is so widely reported that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte recently accused Real of attempting to unsettle his playmaker.

When asked about Real's interest, he said trying to "put a bit of difficulty in the mind of the players" is an accepted part of the modern game, per Jack Pitt-Brooke for The Independent.

Zidane is reportedly willing to part with a world-record £100 million to land the Belgian, according to Gannon.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Desailly, however, remains unconvinced, and he raised similar concerns over Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann's reported move to Manchester United, arguing that the Frenchman may not get enough game time under Mourinho.

"The same thing goes to Griezmann—is he really ready, does he have the desire to be in a competition for places at one of the top clubs and not playing football?" he asked, per Gannon.

Aside from one poor campaign, Hazard has been a very consistent performer since joining Chelsea from Lille in 2012, while Griezmann is one of the most celebrated footballers in the world and would most likely be a regular starter for Mourinho.

Desailly's concerns over Hazard's "risk" are unlikely to perturb Real, regardless of their merit. It is increasingly possible that Real will go all out to land their target once the summer window opens.

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